In spite of following a healthy lifestyle, one can fall ill sometimes, medicine offers no explanation for this. But according to yoga, if there is any weakness at any level in the body and its sheaths, illness results says Dr.Krishna Raman, Consultant Physician and Yoga Expert.

Stress and its impact on the body:

There are subtle layers of the body where the energy centers lie. High blood pressure, as in essential hypertension, is clearly due to a poor lifestyle. The body is a factory with a precise internal order. The temperature is maintained constantly, repairs occur, toxins are thrown out, and defense mechanisms work all the time. The functions are manifold. If there is constant stress on the body in any form, the blood vessels start shrinking in response to the neural command which tells them to remain tensed. As a result, the blood pressure rises inside the series of tubes which make up the circulatory system.

Medicines are not the solution, always Instead of tackling the root of the problem, which is to change the lifestyle, doctors prescribe drugs. No doubt the pressure has to be reduced, but the emphasis must be to make the patient live without drugs. This is now possible with a wealth of new facts about hypertension. One important point we must remember is that the human body will not respond to constant drugging. The system will become unresponsive in the long run, necessitating an increase in the drug dosage and, even then, it sometimes fails. The cells in our body have their own memory and intelligence, and react appropriately. It is this intelligence that is damaged due to abuse and neglect. Studying the yoga sutras, it is obvious that the yogi is in command of his body and its elements. He is also in tune with his surroundings. All of us may not be realised yogis, but we can certainly take steps to have a healthy genetic framework and environment. Heredity is what we create for ourselves. Unhealthy lifestyles alter the genetic material, the DNA. This is the basic material for genetic information. It consists of amino acids, which are fundamentally protein in nature. If the sequence in which the amino acids are paired is altered, the message transmitted to the build up of tissue material and subsequent function is different. DNA is affected by harmful habits, just as there can be possible congenital anomalies in a child if a woman conceives late in life, as the aging process can damage genetic material. The child has inherited factors because of the parents’ habits. Inheritance is not outside our control. If a sick man regains his health, his genetic material also turns healthy. This, to a great extent, is affected by the environment in which we live. Alcohol consumption is on the rise. This damages the cells of the body and not a single organ is spared. Alcohol affects all facets of our life — social, ethical, moral and spiritual. It is one of the oldest evils of our society and has still not been eradicated. When we know that a particular substance has a toxic effect on the body, why touch it at all? Habits die-hard and it is better not to encourage such addictions from the beginning. We all know about the hole in the ozone layer. We also know the harmful chemicals that increase the size of the hole. Yet, we procrastinate, and action often comes late, if at all, due to vested interests. When the air we breathe is so polluted, how can we be healthy? Noise and chemical pollution affect all the cells in our body. If the world changes over to battery operated cars, many sufferers of lung ailments will get enormous relief. Loud music, and the constant use of headphones, can damage our hearing. Yet we ignore this. We do not know what unknown diseases are in store for us in the future, so let us start protecting ourselves from this moment. The refinement in health should be such that we are sensitive to the slightest change in our cells. This is possible by constant training from childhood.